Difference Between Cathedral and Church
Every religion have their places of worship used by followers of the faith to amass and pray to God, in harmony with the traditions and customs mentioned in the sacred books of the religion. These are considered holy places, and major festivals of the religion are celebrated with gaiety in these places. Church and cathedral are two such places of worship in Christianity. It is actually a church that people go to, but there are other names, such as cathedral, chapel, and basilica that confuse those who are not Christians. This article will explain the disparity between a church and a cathedral in simple terms to confiscate all doubts from the minds of the readers.
A cathedral is a much larger place of worship than a church, and typically houses a church inside it. In fact a cathedral is measured the largest church in a city. It is the chief church of a diocese, and houses the throne of the bishop. Basilica is a building that has some archeological importance and historical worth, though it also houses a church. Pope has the right to call a particular building as a basilica. Basilicas have a holy door that is their principal attribute.
While, a church is run by priests or a group of clergymen, a cathedral is essentially run under the authority of the bishop, who is the highest priest in the church housed inside the cathedral. So a cathedral is on the whole a large church, but this is not a characteristic that distinguishes a cathedral from a church. There are examples, where another church in a city is bigger than the cathedral. What really separates a cathedral from all other churches in a place is the verity that it houses the bishop of the place inside it. In Christianity, there are many denominations, and cathedral is associated with older and more traditional denominations, such as Roman Catholics or Eastern Orthodox. Further fresh denominations, such as Baptists or Methodists do not have a cathedral in their faith as their hierarchical structure does not have a bishop.
Though, there are instances when a cathedral remained cathedral despite organization having undergone a change, and bishop not remaining a part of the structure. The Glasgow Cathedral does not have a bishop; so far it is still called a cathedral.
There is a remarkable fact linked with the classification of church and cathedral. In Britain, the presence of a cathedral in a place amidst scores of churches indicates the fact that the place can be called a city. The practice was started by King Henry VII by founding dioceses in 6 places, and conferring the name of city to these towns. So a place might be called a city only if it had a cathedral.